Day after stuff

Ian Thompson, SI:       My own guess, based on conversations with league personnel executives, is that O.J. Mayo (No. 3 to Minnesota, then dealt to Memphis), Eric Gordon (No. 7 to the Clippers) and D.J. Augustin (No. 9 to Charlotte) are three guards who will make an impact over the next few years.

A couple of executives named Gordon as a shooting guard capable of becoming a prolific NBA scorer. "He has an NBA body already," said one. Added the other: "When it's all said and done, he's going to be one of the top two or three players in this class. One thing he can do is score and get to the foul line. The pro game is suited for him."

"also has detractors who say ... that Gordon is one-dimensional and lacks handling skills..."

Chad Ford, ESPN:  The Clippers have a huge hole in their backcourt and Eric Gordon will really help them there. He can be a star: He is strong, can shoot the long ball and can be a tough defender. I'm not sure he's ready yet, but he'll have to be. With Corey Maggette hitting the free-agent market, the Clippers need Gordon to be good.

I'm not sold on Gordon. He's a good shooter and an excellent athlete, but he lacks two important things: a midrange game and size. Since L.A. also needed a point guard, I think D.J. Augustin would've been a better pick.

LA Daily News:  "We've hoped, way back (during the college basketball season), that we'd be able to get get him. We've targeted him for a while," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He's a great fit for out team, he'll be able to stretch the defense, and he can attack the rim. We think he can make an impact right away."

Most NBA scouts compare him to Chicago's Ben Gordon.

"He's 6-foot-3½, but when we had him in here and saw how wide his shoulders were, it was clear he plays a lot bigger than that," Dunleavy said of Eric Gordon. "He's got double-wide shoulders."

He's also incredibly athletic. At the NBA pre-draft combine in Orlando, Gordon was one of only five players with a 40-inch vertical leap. He also ran the third-fastest three-quarter court sprint (3.01 seconds) since they've measured that at the combine.

Dunleavy said the Clippers drafted Gordon as a shooting guard. If he's able to play point guard, Dunleavy said, it would be a bonus. But Gordon said he's more than ready to take the reins at the point.

"I'm equally comfortable (at point guard)," Gordon said. "I played a lot of shooting guard at Indiana, but I usually play point guard. I've played there all my life, I just didn't show that in college.

"I know some people don't think I can play point guard on the next level, so I guess I'll have to show that I can."

Either way, it was exactly the result the Clippers had hoped for. Before the draft, they'd settled on Westbrook and Gordon. If there was a chance to trade up for Mayo, they would haved considered it.

LA Times:  And with both (Gordon and Bayless) still there, was there any debate?

Both Dunleavy and Baylor chuckled.

"No," they both said.

OC Register: 

Dunleavy said Gordon was probably a top 3 pick until he hurt his left (non-shooting) wrist last season and his production dropped off.

"But we had him in for workouts, his hand was healed and he looked great, shot the ball incredibly well, with range. All the things that we thought he could do, he showed us he can easily do. He is a great fit for our team," the coach said.